4 Things You Must Know About Shopping at the Apple Store

It is a point of pride with Apple that its products usually command full retail price. And if you drop your iPhone or if your MacBook fizzles, the financial fallout can be considerable. Take heart. We talked to employees and scoured Apple’s forums for money-saving tips on purchases and repairs.

Apple will match prices. You’ll get a discount of up to 10% if you show that one of its products is less at another brick-and-mortar store (Amazon and eBay don’t count). This is especially useful for accessories, which often go on sale at rival retailers.

Get discounts year-round. The student discount on new computers continues after Apple’s back-to-school promotion ends. You can also get a discount if you’re an educator, government employee or member of the military. That could save you from $50 to more than $200.

AppleCare+ is worth a look. Especially for an iPhone. You’ll pay $99 for iPhone coverage, which extends the one-year warranty to two years and covers two incidents of damage, no questions asked (although each repair not covered under warranty will set you back $79 for a service charge). If you’re not covered and an Apple genius tells you that you need a new phone, you’ll pay, say, $299 to replace an iPhone 6.

Third-party repairs may cost you in the long run. Repairs not done by Apple or its authorized service providers invalidate your warranty.